Author Topic: 1/144 Dragon Cutaway Shuttle w/Airfix SRB ET and Revell Launch Tower (Read 11348 times)

Bubbinski · « **on:** 03/18/2018 04:32 am »

Hi all...

The IPMS Nationals is on August 4th in Phoenix, where I used to live and still have many familial connections (and places to stay!). I’m building something for it. I’ve gotten started, and will start with pictures of progress on the Dragon cutaway orbiter (left side will have some clear portions masked to show the interior, while the right side will be all painted).

Bubbinski · « **Reply #1 on:** 03/18/2018 04:33 am »

And here’s a couple of progress shots from tonight.

mike robel · « **Reply #2 on:** 03/18/2018 02:03 pm »

Nice thus far. I was a little surprised to find my Dragon/747 cutaway had hatches on both sides of the orbiter. Another example of poor engineering on their part (but not quite so bad as on their Apollo and Saturn kits).

Bubbinski · « **Reply #3 on:** 03/19/2018 03:42 am »

Thank you. I will of course putty over that hatch. Tonight’s progress.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #4 on:** 03/21/2018 03:08 am »

Here’s a shot of the Revell launch tower and the work done so far. I know it’s out of scale (1/162) compared to the RSS and shuttle, but I don’t have the skills to really scratchbuild a tower in the correct scale.

roma847 · « **Reply #5 on:** 03/21/2018 06:28 am »

Hi Bubbinski,
nice progress so far, I stay tuned.

If you were to rotate your photo, the tower would look even better.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #6 on:** 04/02/2018 03:49 am »

Quick progress update - got priming finished on the Dragon shuttle orbiter. Also finished masking it today for the black tile areas, the black parts will be sprayed tomorrow. Also finished the hammerhead crane assembly, since I’m doing the 1988 STS-26 stack the hammerhead crane stays.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #7 on:** 04/06/2018 03:58 am »

Latest progress. Some of the cutaway area on left side is masked, will be unmasked in due course.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #8 on:** 04/24/2018 05:47 pm »

Back from Florida and I got my Shapeways intertank and SRB/SSME parts. I’ve used Simple Green to clean the intertank and SRB curtains, and today I have them all under the sunlight, soaking in some UV rays. (Tips from the Model Monkey mentioned in Roma847’s shuttle launch pad thread).

roma847 · « **Reply #9 on:** 04/24/2018 11:25 pm »

Hi Bubinski,
and how do you like my Intertank and the ASTCs?

How long have you cleaned the parts in Simple Green, have you used an ultrasonic bath?

Can you take a few close-ups of the IT so that I can compare it to mine?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #10 on:** 04/25/2018 01:45 am »

Hi Manfred,

I used a pipe cleaner to go over the intertank and the SRB curtains for a few minutes then let sit, and today the parts sat under the sun for about 4 hours. I don’t know how to do an ultrasonic bath, don’t have the equipment for that. But I did go over the parts with my Iwata airbrush just spraying air on it, then sprayed Vallejo acrylic off white on the SRB curtains, glued with 20 sec. cyanocrylate gel to the SRB’s and used white primer on the SRB’s (the stuff I got at Home Depot).

The intertank is very good, WAY better than the Airfix kit part.

roma847 · « **Reply #11 on:** 04/25/2018 06:34 am »

Thanks for the close-ups.

Glad you likes the new parts, so Michael Key did a great job!

roma847 · « **Reply #12 on:** 05/01/2018 01:55 pm »

Hi Bubbinski,
is there any progress?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #13 on:** 05/01/2018 02:28 pm »

Yes, there is progress

roma847 · « **Reply #14 on:** 05/01/2018 07:43 pm »

How and with what kind of paint did you paint the ET and the IT, is that primer?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #15 on:** 05/11/2018 12:16 am »

I used acrylic primer on the ET to start (Vallejo red brown) to cover the intertank, then a spray rust primer can then various shades of rust/orange from Vallejo.

roma847 · « **Reply #16 on:** 05/11/2018 06:25 am »

Were there problems drying the colors, how long did it take?

Bubbinski · « **Reply #17 on:** 05/11/2018 04:37 pm »

Well I waited for 24 hours after the first acrylic coat before putting on the rust primer.

Bubbinski · « **Reply #18 on:** 05/11/2018 04:38 pm »

Latest progress

Bubbinski · « **Reply #19 on:** 05/14/2018 04:12 am »

The ET is done! Here’s the ET with the orbiter. Next up: Airfix SRB’s. Then to figure out where to drill holes in the Dragon Orbiter to attach it correctly. Am prepared to build the Airfix orbiter as backup.